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Tom Waits, according to the esteemed American critic Robert Hilburn, is “clearly one of the most important figures of the modern pop era.” Such sentiments are not mere hyperbole; in a career that now spans four decades and over 20 albums, Tom Waits has emerged as an extraordinary innovative force, a singular voice whose music remains determinedly—and even ... Read more in Amazon's Tom Waits Store

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Rock's perennially hip troubadour built his reputation with his awesome Asylum albums in the '70s-16 of the choicest cuts from which are here: (Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night; Eggs and Sausage (in a Cadillac with Susan Michelson); Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen); Blue Valentines; Heartattack and Vine , and more. His only comprehensive single-disc Asylum anthology!

Amazon.com

Those only familiar with Tom Waits's experimental post-Swordfishtrombones music on Island are often surprised and delighted to discover the singer-songwriter's pre-Swordfishtrombones work on Elektra. A sampling of Waits's nascent recordings is spotlighted on this Rhino compilation. Offering up a beat "hobo" persona that's part Jack Kerouac and part Charles Bukowski, Waits delivered a more traditional American musical persona back then. In fact, some of his melodies approached Stephen Foster territory (witness the absolutely gorgeous "Heart of Saturday Night"). "Ol' 55" became famous via an Eagles cover, Bruce Springsteen would immortalize "Jersey Girl," and "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard"--which highlights his Louis Armstrong-meets-Captain Beefheart vocals of the period--still rocks. But while it's an excellent introduction, tracks like the beautiful "Tom Troubert's Blues" will only make the more newly initiated want to hear albums like Small Change in their entirety. --Bill Holdship

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Tom Waits has had many compilations in the past (Beautiful Maladies, Bounced Checks) but this one should not be excluded from any music fan's collection. Used Songs, from Rhino Records, highlights the Asylum Years - those years where Tom was a hobo (now he's a grave-digger, ring leader, and train riding poet) and singing in bars with a cigarette (now he's got a bigger audience and a mega-phone). I love Tom's most recent works, and I also love this stuff. It's a little bit more jazzy - but it is still beautiful and great late-night music.Some highlights (for me):"Heartattack & Vine". This is a trademark Waits tune. Scratchy guitars and growler vocals. "Don't cha know there ain't no Devil, that's just God when he's drunk.""A Sight for Sore Eyes". Great piano song. Waits at the top of his "story telling" game."Whistlin' past the Graveyard". I honestly feel like going out at 2 in the morning and whistling past a graveyard. You will too."Jersey Girl". Great Waits song that was made greater by Springsteen. Personally, I think Tom's version is better by far. Great guitar, great lyrics (as always), great vocals. So catchy, so catchy."The Heart of Saturday Night". Back when Tom's voice was leaning towards a true singer. The whisky & cigarettes hadn't set it yet."Tom Traubert's Blues". Apart from "Take it with Me", this is probably the most beautiful Tom Waits song that has been made (so far).Also, with the compilation comes a booklet with a few great articles and pictures. A good buy. Better than any of that mainstream pop nonsense out there today. Bravo.

Rhino has done an incredible job, just as usual! Generally they take recordings that have languished in a corner for too long and give them the treatment they deserve: this means brilliant sequencing on a single disc, equally brilliant liner notes and a nice package, just for good measure! This year they did it among others with Elvis Costello (check out "my aim is true") and Tom Waits and both releases are strong to say the very least.Technically speaking "used songs..." is a "best of" that collects songs already included in proper albums released between 1973 and 1980. So no rarities or non-album versions here, just brilliant music for those who need an introduction to Tom Waits (his later stuff tends to be increasingly "difficult", often bordering on the "experimental", so his early period is the best starting point)Now, for those of you who are entirely new to Tom Waits I'll say that he WRITES lyrics in a style that is imbued with beat poetry and then sings them in a raspy voice, backed by some jazzy, cabaret-like music. He's one of my favourite singers and he might well become one of yours!

The Asylum label period of Tom Waits' extraordinary career began in 1973 with his debut album "Closing Time" and ended 8 albums later in 1980 with "Heartattack & Vine". He then signed to Island Records and in 1982 released "Swordfishtrombones" to howls of joy, amazement, praise and derision - all in equal measure. And most of his albums on Island ('82 - '93) and Anti ('99 to the present day) have been the same ever since - mad, bad, beautiful, discordant and utterly unique in a world of increasingly plastic pop forced down our throats by gutless radio programmers every single day of our lives. Personally I love each period, Asylum, Island and the Anti label. And although the word is often overused, Waits is a genius - and utterly unique - beloved by both his fans and the industry for being so.

His Asylum albums were - if you like - his romantic troubadour period, a drunken Street bum with the heart of a poet and the itchy feet of Bukowski. He looked and sang the part too - greasy hair, freshly lit cigarette hanging out of his gob, wrecked clothes, a chronicler of the downtrodden and lost. But this was an artist whose songs were written with charm and real feeling for those on the outskirts - often touching and beautiful to a point where he could make you laugh with one song and cry with the next. But by "Heartattack & Vine", he had taken this persona it as far as it could go - hence the complete about face with his Island debut.Read more ›

Tom Waits is just one of those guys that's beyond description or comparison. This is a collection of some of his 70's work, apparently before he got weird, which is funny because alot of this is pretty wild stuff itself. Some tracks like "Step Right Up" sound like an auctioneer gone nuts, and others like "Jersey Girl" are really quite moving and pretty. A unique artist and voice indeed. These songs often paint a picture for me, and it's of a guy who has a cigarette in one hand and a whiskey in the other, singing in a smokey jazz/beat club, the one down the alley in the old part of town that mostly just the locals end up in, and if you stumble in the door, you leave having had one of those memorable nights that you only get a few of in your lifetime.